All of a Piece
by Earendil Eldar
Summary: Another add-on after "Picking Up the Pieces" because these gents won't let up on me. Ianto's come a long way in healing, but Jack still needs to be sure he's alright. (Post-"Bearing Gifts")


"Ianto? Didn't think you'd still be here."

"Just finishing up, sir," Ianto said. "Report was a bit tough."

Jack sighed and sat beside Ianto. "I'm sorry."

Ianto echoed Jack's sigh. "It's alright. I just hated seeing someone else go through that. Is she ok?"

Jack nodded. "She will be. And before you ask, yes, I apologized."

"I wasn't going to ask. Or have you a mind-reader now, as well?"

"No, I don't. Didn't work on me anyway."

"I don't really know what she got from me. I was having a tough time the other day though," Ianto leaned on the desk. "Just a random memory. Sometimes I feel so sick when it hits."

Jack reached out to Ianto's shoulder. "Yeah, I get that too sometimes."

Ianto looked up.

"A world of things," Jack said. "Regrets, people I've lost…. Anyway. You could have talked to me. Where was I?"

"Bitching out the PM, I believe," Ianto smirked.

"Oh yeah. Gotta do that sometimes."

"Your favorite part of the job."

"Still… talk to me, ok? Anytime."

Ianto nodded. "Talking now, anyway."

"Yeah. Tea?" Jack asked, standing up.

Ianto stood up as well, shaking his head. "I'm going home in a minute."

"Alright. Get some rest."

"Jack?"

Jack met Ianto's eyes openly.

Ianto took a half step forward and brought a hand up to touch Jack's face. He leaned in to kiss Jack tentatively, but not as just a friend.

Jack's pulse raced. There was no mistaking Ianto's intention in that kiss, it was the same intention he'd felt since the moment he met Ianto. But with all that had gone on since then…. "Ianto… you don't have to -"

Ianto pulled back quickly. "I know that. I'm sorry if that crossed a line."

"It didn't. Believe me." Jack managed a smile. "But I don't want you to rush, ok? I don't want to lose your friendship, that's what's most important to me."

Ianto looked down, insecure.

"Hey," Jack said gently. Tucking a thumb under Ianto's chin, Jack stepped close and sealed his lips over Ianto's. Then he grinned. "Go get some rest," he said, cupping Ianto's neck briefly before stroking down the arm of his suit jacket.

The little jokes and just-this-side-of-friendly touches they shared were more special than Jake would let on. The way Ianto would silently set a cup of coffee on Jack's desk when a chat with UNIT degenerated into a shouting match, or the way he'd silently pour a glass of whiskey after a 'bad day.' No questions, no opinions. Jack knew it was Ianto's way of doing for Jack exactly what Jack had done for him as he got back on his feet. Ianto had become a true friend and that was something Jack wasn't willing to risk just because he happened to be a gorgeous, sexy, intelligent, and strong friend.

It was getting harder by the day to resist Ianto but Jack knew he needed to hold back. Ianto had been through too much to rush into a… _thing_ with… anyone. There was no way it could be a one-time thing, not just because they saw each other every day, but because Jack couldn't bear that. He needed to know Ianto wasn't just trying to 'thank' him for the time they'd spent talking together over the last couple months. And it had to be what Ianto _wanted_, not _needed_.

Not like that night they'd gotten back from the countryside. Ianto didn't want to be alone, and after what he'd been through Jack couldn't blame him. Jack was mad at himself for giving in to the idea of sharing a bed, though, certain it would somehow damage the fragile trust he'd earned from Ianto. More than that, he was so worried that what Ianto had been put through out there would reverse so much of the progress he'd made since Lisa and cause Ianto to push everyone and everything away again.

But to Jack's surprise, after that night, Ianto had seemed to let go of so much stress, even if he'd decided to pass on field assignments for a while. He seemed at home in the Hub, more than he'd ever been before. Part of Jack worried about the hours Ianto was putting in, but there was no sign of tiredness in him. Ianto seemed content… at least, as content as a man in a three-piece suit could seem.

As Ianto left through the cog-door with a wave over his shoulder in Jack's general direction, Jack decided the next time Ianto made a move, or advance, or even a suggestion, he wouldn't put him off.


End file.
